Close Quarters
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: Following a sudden ill-timed malfunction, Malcolm and Hoshi find that getting stuck on a turbolift together might not be such a bad thing after all.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek Enterprise. But I still hope you enjoy this little one-shot set during Season 1.  
**

* * *

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed gave a deep sigh of relief as his long work day finally ended. He left the Armory and strolled down the quiet well lit corridors of the Enterprise before stopping to wait for a turbolift headed to E deck. He checked his watch with growing concern and saw that it now read 19:00. Malcolm only hoped that he could reach the mess hall in time and grab some dinner before the room was completely re-purposed for the ship's Thursday Movie Night. It seemed his stomach agreed with him as it gave a quiet growl.

"Come on… what's taking the bloody thing so long?" Malcolm mumbled in annoyance as he continued to wait. He gave his tired eyes a rub and was surprised when the lift suddenly arrived.

The doors swished open and he was greeted by the sight of the ship's Communications Officer. Ensign Hoshi Sato looked equally surprised to see her colleague before allowing him some room to enter. The young Oriental woman gave a curios look as he greeted her with a polite nod and stepped inside, "Ah… hello Ensign. I'm sorry I didn't see you just now."

"Everything okay, Lieutenant? You look a little frazzled," Hoshi noted.

"Nothing a little dinner and sleep won't cure," Malcolm replied as he waved it off with his trademark British stoicism.

"Tough work day?"

Malcolm wrinkled his features, "I just got off a double shift in the Armory. We were having a hell of a time recalibrating the targeting arrays of the phase cannons."

Hoshi nodded in understanding as the turbolift continued on its way. "Well, hopefully Chef set some extra plates of leftovers aside. I imagine they'll probably be cleaning up the mess hall right now."

"You're headed to E deck too?" Malcolm asked, "Let me guess, Movie Night?"

"Of course," Hoshi said with a smile, "You sure you don't want to sit in? We hardly ever see you there."

Malcolm shifted awkwardly and gave a shrug, "Oh, I don't know. I was actually thinking of just having a quiet night in with a good book, some hot tea, and…"

Reed was interrupted as everything was violently jolted and the entire ship seemed to shake for a moment. Both Malcolm and Hoshi were thrown against the walls as the lights went out and the turbolift abruptly stopped. Seconds later, the lights flickered back to life but remained dim as the ship went into an emergency safety protocol. Malcolm shook the stars from his field of vision as he sat up and moved to help his fallen crewmate, "Ensign? Are you all right?"

She gave a groan and nodded as she sat up slowly, "Yeah, I think so. What's going on? What happened?"

"I don't know," Malcolm admitted with a grim voice as he looked around the dimly lit compartment.

"Did something happen to the ship?" Hoshi asked. The tone of her voice was level but it betrayed a hint of fear and dread within it. Malcolm moved toward the emergency intercom and pressed the button.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. Reed to Engineering? Is anyone there?"

There was a long silence with the slight sound of static on the line. Malcolm frowned and tried again with no response.

"That can't be good," Hoshi remarked, "If the ship's comms were knocked offline, it must have been something pretty big."

"We don't know that yet Ensign," Reed answered tensely, "For all we know it could just be a malfunctioning turbolift."

He knew it was a weak excuse but it was better than nothing. Malcolm had always been a natural pessimist and was used to expecting the worst of any situation. After all, keeping the ship safe from security breaches and hostile alien ships required that he have that mindset. It was his job. Despite his own misgivings right now, it was his duty as Hoshi's superior officer to take charge and keep everyone's spirits up.

Just then, the intercom crackled to life and the two heard the familiar if slightly garbled voice of the ship's Chief Engineer, Commander "Trip" Tucker. The twang of the engineer's Southern accent was impossible to mistake. "Lieutenant? Malcolm, is that you?"

"I'm here Commander!" Reed answered in relief, "Hoshi and I are stuck in the turbolift… maybe somewhere near E deck. What's going on?"

"It looks like the ship passed by an uncharted pulsar and we've been hitting some interstellar turbulence," Trip answered, "Everyone is fine, but the intense radiation temporarily knocked out our secondary systems and caused a power surge in the ship's energy grid."

"So what you're saying is that we might be stuck here a while?" Hoshi asked in dismay.

"Fraid so Ensign. We've got repair crews working now to restore power and get everything else running again. Just try to sit tight for now. Tucker out."

Once the line cut out, the two officers looked to each other before Hoshi quipped darkly, "So much for a quiet evening in, huh?"

Malcolm snorted in amusement and sat down slumped against the wall with his eyes closed, "Well… might as well get comfortable and make the best of it. I could use a nap anyway."

Hoshi blinked and stood with an incredulous look on her face as she watched him, "You're really okay just lying back and relaxing at a time like this?"

"I don't see what the problem is Ensign. What else are we supposed to do?" Malcolm answered with a lazy yawn.

Even with his eyes closed he could hear her pacing restlessly around the small compartment that they were trapped in. Hoshi chewed her bottom lip and fidgeted as she continued to walk around in a semi-circle, "I don't know… maybe find a way out? What if the hydraulic systems give out? What if there's another malfunction, like an electrical fire or a hull breach?"

Malcolm opened his eyes and looked in surprise at his crewmate. Whenever he was on the bridge, he had always noticed that Hoshi seemed so composed and at ease while at her station. Right now, she was starting to look more restless and agitated as each minute passed. He sat up, "Ensign? Are you all right?"

She stopped and sucked in a quick breath before giving an evasive nod, "Err… fine. Fine. I'm good Lieutenant. Sorry. I guess I just need a little air right now."

He studied her for a long moment and slowly raised an eyebrow, "Ensign… you aren't claustrophobic, are you?"

"Well… I've never done well with tight cramped spaces so… I guess… maybe?" she admitted sheepishly.

To her surprise, Malcolm gave a gentle smile, "That's okay Ensign. There's no shame in it. It's a common fear."

He looked around at the ceiling for a moment before stopping at a panel that was just out of reach overhead. She ambled over as he inspected it curiously, "Sir? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking of a way to get you some air," he said, "Perhaps we could remove a ceiling panel and open things up a bit? If we need to be pulled out of here from a higher deck, it might help the rescue crew as well. Climb up on my shoulders?"

"Sorry… what?" Hoshi asked.

"I can't reach the panel from here," he explained, "Unless you'd rather stand on my back?"

Hoshi took a few calming breaths and nodded as Malcolm bent down, letting her climb on his back and sit upon his shoulders. He gave a small grunt and rose to his feet while lifting her up too. Even if Malcolm was slightly shorter than many of the other male crewmen, Hoshi couldn't help but be surprised that the British Armory Officer was stronger than he looked as he hoisted her up. She decided to keep her mind focused on the task at hand as she jiggled the ceiling panels above. "Are you all right down there Lieutenant Reed?"

"Never better," he replied with a straight face as he remained still and supported her weight. Of course, it wasn't a bad position to be in when he thought about it. Who wouldn't want to be trapped with an attractive young woman like Hoshi, much less have her thighs wrapped around your neck? He brushed the thought aside and kept his mind on task, "Any luck?"

"Not really..." Hoshi grumbled as she continued to fiddle with the panel, "This thing is screwed in too tightly and I can't get it to budge."

As she gave it a few more pushes, the ship shook again from another round of interstellar turbulence. Malcolm was thrown off balance and Hoshi yelped as she swayed precariously in the air trying to balance herself. Just as she began to topple over, Malcolm reacted and moved to break her fall with his own body. He gave another grunt as they fell over each other and she landed on top of him in a heap. Several seconds passed as Hoshi slowly got back up and realized the compromising position they had landed in. She quickly untangled their limbs and rolled off of him. She began to straighten her tousled hair while Malcolm finally regained his senses and caught his breath. He groaned and began to stand up slowly, "Are you okay Ensign? I think I..."

He stopped and sucked in a sharp breath as he winced in pain and quickly fell back to a sitting position, "Bugger! That hurts!"

Hoshi turned in concern and saw her comrade clutch his ankle, "Oh no! Lieutenant Reed? Are you okay?"

Malcolm tested his ankle and poked at it gingerly, "I... think so. I must have sprained it when we fell just now."

"I'm sorry sir. That was my fault and..." Hoshi began to say, but Reed raised his hand to silence her.

"No. I'm the one who's sorry Ensign. I guess I should have expected my plan would get all bollocksed up here," Malcolm apologized.

Hoshi smiled softly as she shook her head and sat down beside him, "It's okay Lieutenant. You were only trying to help… but I still appreciate the gesture."

She closed her eyes and decided to try a different approach to keeping calm in the dim cramped lift, "Maybe for now… just hold my hand?"

Malcolm looked at her as she kept her eyes closed and tried to steady her breathing as if meditating. He hesitated a moment before taking Hoshi's hand to comfort her. Her hand was soft albeit a little sweaty, but given the present circumstances they were in, that was okay. They both remained quiet and let a companionable silence settle in before Hoshi spoke again, "You know Lieutenant, in a way it's kind of nice being stuck here with you."

"Oh? I'm afraid I haven't been much good rescuing us here," he remarked idly.

Hoshi shook her head, "No. I mean, this is probably the first real chance where we can just sit here and talk."

"We've talked," he countered but Hoshi shook her head again.

"No. I mean like one-on-one... when we're not on duty, or with other bridge officers around," she answered. "You might think it's a little silly, but I was always kind of scared to talk to you at first. I thought you were a little intimidating."

Malcolm frowned slightly, "Me? Intimidating? You were really afraid of me?"

"Maybe a little..." Hoshi admitted, "But not so much anymore. It's just that you're usually so serious about work and you tend to be so quiet, even around other crewmen."

"Hmm. Just the way I am, I guess. Keeping the cards close to my chest," he admitted in an almost apologetic tone, "I'm afraid I've never been much for small talk.. or blessed with the gift of gab."

"Are you saying I talk too much?" Hoshi asked in a mildly accusatory tone.

Malcolm cracked an eye open and looked to her only to see that she was wearing a small smirk and was only teasing him.

"I'm sure you had quite a bit to talk about with Commander Tucker when you two were trapped for days in that shuttlepod a while back," Hoshi pointed out, "After coming back, you two actually seemed like you became pretty good friends."

"When we weren't trying to kill each other," Malcolm snorted, "But... I suppose that in the end, I found that I actually enjoy Commander Tucker's company."

"See? Was that so hard to admit?"

Malcolm laughed gently, "Oh, but that shuttlepod incident is still very different than this here."

"Really? How?"

"Well for one thing, Commander Tucker wasn't nearly as pleasant to look at," Malcolm replied before he stopped and realized what he had just said. He cleared his throat and tried to regain some semblance of professional bearing, "I'm sorry Ensign. I didn't mean to imply anything improper just now..."

"It's okay Lieutenant," Hoshi laughed gently, "You must have hit your head when you fell because now I know you must be joking."

The Armory Officer raised an eyebrow, "And what makes you say that?"

"You think I'm pretty? Much less any other woman on this ship?" she asked fixing him with a pointed look. There was a long pause before he picked up on what she was implying and he gave a indignant grumble.

"I don't know what you or the other women on the ship must think but I can assure you that I'm not gay."

Hoshi let that sink in and she nodded before leaning back on the wall. She sighed with a small resigned smile, "Well... I'm actually glad to hear that. At least my evening's not a complete bust. At least I still have one man holding my hand and paying me compliments tonight."

Malcolm paused and put a few pieces together in his mind, "Wait. You had a date tonight, didn't you? At Movie Night? That's why you were headed to E deck?"

"How did you figure that?"

"Based on what you've been saying. And you were wearing some kind of perfume," he explained, "I could smell it when we got in that little tangle earlier. So... who is it?"

Hoshi turned and gave a mild snort, "What? No! I'm not going to tell you Lieutenant. With respect, that is none of your business."

"You do know I'm also the ship's chief of security," he pointed out with a small smirk, "It's my duty to know everything."

She gave a huff and thought it over, deciding they had nothing else to do but talk right now so she relented, "All right. I was going to meet Ensign Abrams for the show."

"Ensign Abrams?" Malcolm snorted incredulously, "From Engineering?"

"What's wrong with him?" Hoshi insisted, "I think he's very funny and good looking."

"And an insufferable braggart," Malcolm pointed out with a sour tone, "Always going on about racing his custom hotrods back home and getting to meet local celebrities after winning all those races."

Hoshi nodded in wry amusement, "Ah... I'm flattered. It almost sounds like you have a problem with that Lieutenant."

"I don't," Malcolm insisted quietly, "I just think you can do better than him... that you can find someone who's more cultured and interested in you, in what you think and what you have to say."

"Well, if you find any guys like that on the ship let me know," Hoshi mumbled closing her eyes again and leaning back against the bulkhead, "I guess it worked out for the best that I didn't get to go tonight, huh?"

"I suppose so," Malcolm answered with a non-committal shrug as another brief quiet set in over the compartment. After a time, Hoshi glanced over and saw Lieutenant Reed's hand still held hers and it did make her feel a little better from the threat of her claustrophobia. Ever the English gentlemen, he sat upright against the wall like a chaste but vigilant sentry keeping watch. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze to get his attention.

"Hey, Lieutenant? Can I ask you something personal?"

He gave a thoughtful sigh as he rested and continued to keep his eyes closed, "While we're sharing, I don't see why not."

"Do you remember a while back around the time of your birthday? When you thought I was coming on to you over dinner, with the talk about the enchiladas and the hot plate?"

Malcolm opened his eyes and looked to her in the dim light. They both felt their faces grow warm as they recalled the awkward memory, "Yes. I remember. What makes you bring it up now?"

She shrugged, "I guess I was always curious about something... if there weren't any fraternization rules and if I had actually been propositioning you, would you have said the same thing?"

Malcolm paused for a long moment, "That's a lot of if's Ensign."

"It's hypothetical," Hoshi insisted as she nudged his shoulder with hers, "Humor me, here? You did admit I was pretty just now."

Malcolm gave a grudging sigh and thought about a careful diplomatic answer, "To be very honest... I don't know. I really hadn't given it any thought before, but now that I've worked with you for a while and seen just how talented and brave you can be... it's very possible that given the opportunity, I would have been interested in getting to know you better in that way."

Hoshi gave a quiet smile, "Thanks Lieutenant. For what it's worth, I sort of feel the same way."

Malcolm glanced over in surprise before meeting her quiet smile with one of his own, "I appreciate that Ensign. Thank you."

Just then, the two were startled as power was restored and the turbolift doors parted slightly. There were sounds of electric tools at work before the hatch was completely pried open. To Malcolm and Hoshi's relief, they saw the bright friendly smile of the ship's blonde Chief Engineer. Commander Trip Tucker peered in the compartment as the engineering work crew stepped aside.

"Well now, what have we here?" Trip drawled as he regarded his two colleagues with an amused grin, "Hope I'm not interruptin' something."

"Not at all Commander," Malcolm frowned as he quickly untangled his fingers from Hoshi's and tried to stagger to his feet. "But we're glad to see you."

"You two all right?"

Hoshi quickly moved to steady Malcolm and help him walk out of the open hatchway, "Lt. Reed might have hurt his foot when he fell earlier, but we're okay."

"I'll be fine Ensign," Malcolm protested quietly before wincing again, "No need to worry about me."

Trip noticed his friend was in pain and shook his head, "There's no need to be stubborn either Malcolm. I want you both to report to Dr. Phlox. Let him be the judge of that."

Malcolm gave a deflated sigh and relented as he began to walk down the hall with Hoshi. Trip might have been his friend, but he was also Malcolm's superior officer who had given him an order. "Understood Commander. We're on our way."

* * *

Later that evening, Dr. Phlox released Malcolm and Hoshi from Sickbay after giving them both a checkup. Hoshi had gotten away with just a few minor bruises while Malcolm was given some painkillers along with some tape for his sprained ankle. By the time they left Sickbay, the corridors had grown quieter with the night shift taking over on duty. Malcolm winced and did his best to hide a grimace as he walked on his bad foot while escorting Hoshi down the hallway. She graced him with a sympathetic look as they finally reached their destination and stopped outside the door to her quarters.

"Thank you again Lieutenant, but you really didn't have to walk me back to my room."

He waved it off and kept a straight face, "Quite all right Ensign. After everything that's happened tonight, I didn't want to take any more chances."

She couldn't help but smile a little. It was his job to keep the crew safe after all, but she liked to think he was being a little gallant and showing some extra attention. "While we're here, I want to thank you again for tonight... for just helping me out and being there with me in the turbolift. If I was by myself, I think I might have really had a panic attack."

"You're welcome Ensign," he answered with a dutiful little nod, "I'm glad I could help... and for what it's worth, I really didn't mind the company either."

"Same," she said thoughtfully, "Maybe we should do this again some time? Just hang out and talk? Minus the broken turbolift, of course."

"Of course," Malcolm echoed with a gentle laugh, "Seeing as how I missed a meal and you missed a date, maybe we could just make up for all that with a friendly dinner tomorrow after work?"

"I look forward to it," Hoshi replied.

The two officers paused for a moment and suddenly felt a little awkward again as they stood outside her door like it was the ending to some kind of date. She shifted on her feet and looked up again, "Well... we should probably get some rest. We both had a crazy day, right? Good night Lieutenant."

"Good night Ensign."

"Hoshi," she corrected him gently, "If we're going to be friends, you don't have to be so stuffy and formal in private."

"Right then, good night... Hoshi," he said as she nodded in approval and headed into her quarters for the night. Once the door closed, Malcolm walked off down the hallway toward his own room. As he made his way down the corridor, he couldn't help but smile to himself a little. Despite the situation, he had enjoyed spending a little more time with Hoshi tonight. Even if it they weren't meeting for a "date" in the truest sense, he still found himself looking forward to tomorrow evening. In the mean time, he already found himself wondering if Chef would listen were he to put in some suggestions for tomorrow's dinner menu. He was thinking maybe enchiladas with some pineapple upside down cake for dessert.


End file.
